Angel Olivia
by K'lara7
Summary: SC60 entry for TF. Takes place during Terra Firma.
1. Angel Olivia

SC 60: Angel Olivia

This is my first Farscape Fanfic. I really hope I did the characters right. This wasn't supposed to go where it did. I blame Harvey.

**Starburst Challenge 60**(hosted by vinegardog): The story should star at least one of our main characters either lying or being lied to and then being caught in the lie or uncovering the liar.

**Rating:** G.  
**Spoilers/Time Frame:** Terra Firma.  
**Disclaimer:**The characters and universe of Farscape are the property of the Henson Co.

Olivia's long lost brother was home. Miraculously, that solar flare had not killed him. He was here on Earth with amazing friends.

She really liked Officer Aeryn Sun. While she was almost painfully shy, she obviously loved her brother. That first night when they were decorating the Christmas Tree, Aeryn was soaking up all the family stories. Her whole face was lit up and she was laughing. This didn't seem to be something she did often. Every mention of John's childhood brought an introspective look to her face. She was absorbing anything they were willing to tell her.

John trusted her completely. He never entered or exited a room without checking on Aeryn. He was very protective of her. For Aeryn's part, she worked hard to keep John in her peripheral vision, as if she had to check his location at all times. Often John and Aeryn moved as one, communicating with just a look or a head tilt. They had secrets they didn't want to share with anyone. Whenever they were asked about their world they would give one or two word answers.

Aeryn had taken the time to learn John's language even though she had no reason to. With translator microbes she didn't need to speak the language to comprehend what was said. For someone not born on Earth, she had an excellent grasp of English. John had been correcting little pronunciation mistakes. She took the corrections well, like she really wanted to know his words.

It started out as a simple conversation. Aeryn asked Olivia about her brother's favorite movies. They talked about space movies and old classics. Cartoons were a subject of humor. Aeryn asked who Wile E. Coyote was, so Olivia decided to to take her shopping. A small excursion to the mall turned into a big government production of "protecting" the aliens. Chiana and Noranti were invited along. Chiana wanted to do some clothes shopping and Noranti wanted to try the local perfumes. They wandered into a shop selling incense.

Aeryn and Olivia decided to try the book store first. For some strange reason Aeryn was interested in reading about Jonah and the Whale. Aeryn told her about a creature called a budong. John said it was like the whale in Jonah's story. Apparently the creatures could swallow ships the size of Moya whole.

The next stop was the video store where browsing for VHS tapes made for lively conversation. If Olivia wondered about Aeryn's feelings for her brother, the thoughtful Christmas present she bought to celebrate a holiday she don't understand, was telling.

"We should buy "It's A Wonderful Life". That's such a great Christmas story. It would give you a real feel for some of our traditions. It's one of Jimmy Stewart's best films. "Harvey" was another great film. The were my dad's childhood favorites. They are old black and white-.

"Did you say Harvey? He's a character in a movie?"

"Yeah. You should watch it sometime. Harvey is an imaginary rabbit that only Jimmy Stewart can see. Everyone thinks he's crazy because he talks to the rabbit. Turns out he's real and other people start talking to him too."

"Sounds like John might have already told me about it. I seem to recall that story. It must have been one of his favorites."

"Hardly," Olivia snorted. "John thought Harvey was annoying and should have stayed out of people's lives. Dad loved that movie. My brother prefers "It's A Wonderful Life. It's about a guy who has to loose everything to realize how much he really has. It takes place at Christmas time and he gets help from a guardian angel named Clarence."

"Is it a good movie?" Aeryn's not sure it's one she would want to watch, since it's one she's living. "Does it have a happy ending?"

"You should watch it and find out."

"Won't you please tell me? I don't think I'll have time to watch it and I really need to know the answer."

Olivia caught Aeryn's eye. With the perception only John's sister could have she said, "This isn't about the movie, is it? It's about you and my brother. You love him, don't you?"

Instantly, Aeryn shouted, "No! Of course not."

Olivia just stared her down. Aeryn had never seen her look more like her brother before that moment. She'd thought Olivia was the easy going one of the family, but maybe she was their hidden strength.

Squirming under that look, Aeryn thought about her answer. Olivia deserved honesty, but she didn't want to admit the truth out loud. If she did, there would be no going back. "Po-Possibly." She stuttered, then rushed on to add, "But it doesn't matter, he doesn't want me, he has moved on."

"Funny. He says the same thing about you. When I asked him about you, he said that your word for the two of you is yesterday." Aeryn flinched and Olivia could see that Aeryn was hurting just as much as her brother. Suddenly she felt like she was back in high school passing love letters around class for other students. "Aeryn, it's not my place to say this, but don't give up on my brother. He's stubborn, and God knows he comes by it honestly. But he's also loyal, sensitive and tragically romantic. He doesn't give his heart easily and once given it can't be taken away.

"I've only seen my brother serious about one other woman in his life. She easily chose her career over him. As much as he thought he loved her, making the space program meant more to him.

"When I see the way my brother looks at you, I can't imagine anything being as important to him as you are. I don't want to pressure you, but please, don't break my brother's heart. He might seem tough, but right now he's very fragile. The way he looks at you, when your not looking? I think his love for you might be the only thing keeping him going. John has never looked so alone in all his life. He used to laugh and smile a lot more than he does now.

"And now?" Aeryn asked, almost whispering.

"Now, it seems like he's holding his breath. Like he's waiting for the shoe to fall and his world to come crashing down on him. He's almost brittle in his thoughts and movements. He's always got his guard up."

"A lot has happened over the cycles. The Uncharted Territories are a hard place to live. We've both made bad decisions, mistakes. Some we just can't take back."

"Aeryn, I've known my brother all my life. I have never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you. You are the key to his happiness." Olivia turns to Aeryn. "If there is one thing that I've learned it's that life is too short to waste a minute of it. Don't throw it away on on misunderstandings. You love him. He loves you. You two need to stop lying to each other and work it out.

"Live in the moment, you don't know if there will be a tomorrow. I lost my mother a long time ago. Her death devastated my family. When Mom got sick, we had so little warning, it was already too late to treat the cancer. The doctors tried, but even today, there is no cure for it, only treatments that sometimes work and make you even sicker."

Aeryn stood there staring like a deer in the headlights look. "Your right." She looked down, then back up, "I'll talk to him, either way I'll finally have an answer."

"Now, enough of this depressing conversation. It's Christmas. We have a lot of shopping to do. Where do you want to start?"

"Let's start with Harvey." Olivia shakes her head in amusement. Her brother was going to be so mad at her for introducing Aeryn to that rabbit!


	2. Merry Christmas

SC 67: Merry Christmas(G)

Starburst Challenge 67 (hosted by A Damned Scientist): The Festival  
Rating: G  
Spoilers/Setting: Terra Firma sequel to SC: 60 Angel Olivia  
Genre(s): Drama  
Word Count: 1577

No test drive on this one. All mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Farscape are the property of the Henson Co.

Aeryn followed Livvy through the mall, looking around at all the decorations. There were so many shades of green and red blending together brightly. It was very different from anything in the Uncharted Territories. There were lights flashing and that fat old guy in the red suit.

It was like walking through the market square of a Commerce Planet. Many vendors had various wares to sell. With so many new and wondrous things to see, it was impossible to avoid distraction. She paused at a shop selling shoes. Seeing her shopping partner was distracted, Olivia backtracked to join her. "Do you see anything you like?"

"Not really. Why do you have so many shoes? Most of those seem impractical. How could you balance on those spikes?"

"Practice makes perfect. After you've walked in them a while, you get used to it. It's common to match your shoes to the clothes you wear. Some women have hundreds of pairs. I take it that's not common among your people?"

"No. Most of what we wear is practical. Dress attire is only worn at command function level events. There isn't much call for the soldiers to participate. Even our dress wear would never involve something so uncomfortable." Aeryn glanced around at all the women in the crowd of shoppers. No one wore the same pair of shoes. It seemed bazaar to her, but then humans weren't known to make sense.

She turned away from the shop window, and they continued to meander through the crowd of excited holiday shoppers. Many times Aeryn's eyes paused on the women who had distended stomachs. She'd never seen a pregnant woman before. Among Peacekeepers, anyone on the breeding roster was isolated from the ranks until after the birth. With a self conscious smile, she realized Olivia had noted her interest.

John's sister was great at avoiding uncomfortable subjects. She might have her suspicions about her brother's relationship with this woman, but it wasn't her place to ask. When the next store they came to specialized in expectant mothers and new born clothing, Olivia decided to test the waters.

"I have a friend who's going to have a baby shower soon. Would you mind going into this store with me?"

Puzzled, Aeryn tilted her head. "Bathing a baby is a special event?"

It took Olivia a moment to grasp what the Sebacean was saying. "No. A baby shower is a party thrown for a woman who is about to deliver a baby. It's a chance for her friends to get together one last time before the baby comes and makes life difficult for a few months. It's also customary for party goers to bring gifts for the mother and child."

"Uh, alright." As they walked into the store, Aeryn asked about a display at the front window, it was of a scene she had noticed all over the mall.

"That's a depiction of the night Jesus was born. His parents were poor and had no place to stay, so they bedded down in the barn with the sheep. That night, as they lay sleeping, people travelled from all over the world to see this child who had been prophesied to save us all. Christmas is the celebration of his birth."

Unconsciously, Aeryn rested a hand on her stomach. Realizing what a telling motion that was, she quickly dropped her hand to her side. Olivia decided to let the moment pass and made her way over to the newborn clothes.

Many times Aeryn paused over different outfits and color choices. She asked about how cribs worked and what car seats were for. After several minutes Olivia noticed the store clerks whispering and pointing at the "alien". She realized that bringing Aeryn in here was a mistake. The rumors would be flying for days about why an alien would visit a maternity shop. Grabbing the sleeper Aeryn had in her hands, Olivia told her it was time to check out.

As they got to the counter, Olivia turned to Aeryn, "Thank you for indulging me with the selfish desire to get some of my shopping done too. My friend is going to love this!" she gushed.

It took a moment for Aeryn to catch on, and then she was nodding and smiling self consciously. "It wasn't any trouble." After purchasing the sleeper, they made their way back into the center of "The Mall" where Chiana and Noranti patiently waited with their guards.

After a quick dinner at one of the mall restaurants, they left to go back to the mansion to sleep. Olivia accompanied them to their cars, and then made her way to her own. She couldn't help but think about that wistful look on Aeryn's face when they walked around the baby store. She had a pretty good guess about what that look meant, and it broke her heart.

Already her brother had drifted away from his family. He seemed to have changed so much and while Earth was the place of his birth, it wasn't his home anymore. It was a pretty good guess that his heart belonged on Moya with a certain dark haired alien beauty.

Putting her car into gear, Olivia backed out of the parking space, in a hurry. She had a stop to make before she went home.

It was dark by the time she made it back to her house. As she walked in the door John asked her, "Hey, where have you been?"

Olivia laughed, "Shopping with aliens."

It didn't take her long to realize that her brother was miserable. He put on a good front, but looking at the pictures seemed to magnify his loneliness. John seemed to want to spend time with his family, but he was isolated from his shipmates, from Aeryn. Her brother said it was a mistake coming here. Here as in Earth or here as in Dad's house?

After her brother made his way to bed, she snuck out to her car and brought in all the packages she had purchased after she left the mall. It took three hours to wrap everything. Perfume for Chiana, popcorn for Rygel. She had been observing all of her brother's friends and wanted to show them more Christmas hospitality than her planet had. There was a book of ancient Earth weapons for D'Argo and herbal seeds for Noranti. For Pilot, she bought him a collection of e-books on Earth's history and science because she had been told he liked to read. Sikozu was impossible. In the end, she settled on a book of Earth landscapes for her.

Aeryn's presents were more personal. She bought her a bracelet with charms on it that represented her different friends on Moya. That was to be presented to her Christmas morning with all the other presents. The other gifts for Aeryn would have to wait until the right time. Hopefully Chiana would help her with that.

Days later, there was no Christmas morning. A green creature had smashed up the tree. John would be alright. He'd only bruised two ribs. Olivia began to understand the crazy world her brother lived in. As John's shipmates packed up to leave, she was able to give each one their special present from her. She cried a little, realizing just how important John's friends had become to her, too.

D'Argo agreed to take Aeryn's other gifts up to Moya and hold onto them until the time was right. The Luxan was surprised, although he shouldn't have been, to learn how well Olivia had gotten to know them. Just like her brother, she accepted them unconditionally, flaws and all.

It was several months before Olivia's true contribution to the Uncharted Territories was discovered. John was in a coma, having unleashed the most destructive weapon the galaxy had ever seen. Setting it off had been easy, shutting it down might cost his life.

Stark was wandering the ship, marveling at his new sense of peace. There was still extensive water damage to most of the tiers. On the far end of the living quarters he found a bunch of brightly colored boxes stashed in an undamaged part of the ship. On the top of one was a green envelope with Aeryn's name written on it. It took only a moment for him to run to Crichton's quarters, where he found Aeryn holding vigil at his bedside.

"I found this with a bunch of boxes near D'Argo's quarters. I think you may want to go check them out." He paused, looking over the still form of his friend. "Don't worry, I will watch over Crichton for you."

Aeryn nodded, dazed. Taking the card with her, she made her way to where the boxes were stashed. She knew they had been there fore a long time, having appeared right after their brief stay on Earth. Until now, she'd had no desire to even look in them. In the end she was overwhelmed at all the things a baby might need. There were clothes and diapers, enough that she wouldn't have to worry for a while about her son's needs.

As tears came into her eyes, she opened the envelope. In Livvy's hand there was a short note.

_"Aeryn, I wish I could have thrown you a baby shower, but this will have to do. Take care of yourself and that baby. Please don't give up on my brother, he will come around. Merry Christmas. Love, Olivia."_

Repeating Olivia's words, silently to herself, Aeryn made her way back to John's cell. She wasn't about to give up on John Crichton.


End file.
